Paints

There are many makes of paints available for figure painting either solvent or water based. Experienced makers of large scale figures, 54mm and above, also use artists oils paints but it is a difficult medium to use so I would not recommend them for this small scale.

Solvent/oil based paints like Humbrol enamel require a special thinner for thinning the paint and cleaning brushes. They are a very good medium for shading and blending colours as they take a long time to dry. The drying time is their main drawback.

Water based acrylic paints can be thinned and cleaned with water. They are also non-toxic which is why I use them (in case the rugrats get them, I also lick my brushes to keep the points). They dry quickly which means figures can be completed in an evening but it can make blending and shading difficult. I use a mixture of the Miniature Paints and Games Workshops ranges. The quality of the latter tends to vary, some are very thin and watery to start with. They brought out a new range a year or so ago and I was assured the quality was a lot better. I have not however been impressed with the few colours I have tried.

Water based inks are in common use now for giving a shading wash to figures although they don't give the instant effect Games Works would sometimes have you believe.

If starting from scratch the Miniature Paints cost under £1 a bottle and with them being non-toxic they are safe for any age to use. Otherwise if you already have paints or experience of using a certain type stick with them for your first attempts. Be warned however that the different types of paint don't mix together and some cannot be easily painted over another so use just the one type.

I would recommend the following colours as a minimum to start with :

Mid Blue, Red, Yellow, Mid Green, White, Flesh , Black, Mid Brown, Silver and Gold. All other colours can be mixed from these if you can not afford more. Purchase other shades as you need or can afford them.

Most paints don't have colour coded tops so if like me you keep them in a box where you can only see the tops put a little paint on so that you know which is which.

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Brushes

Purchase the best quality brushes you can as you only need a few. Sable is the best. Start with a size 0 or 1 for putting the main colours on and 00 or 000 fine detailing. A cheaper quality size 0 can be useful for dry brushing. Games Workshop do a brush set containing a fine detail brush, standard brush and small dry brushing brush. They are of a reasonable quality and will be sufficient for the beginner but get to know your local art shop who will have a good range of various qualities and can give you proper advice about your needs. They will not quibble either when you check the brushes before buying them, if they do go elseware. Check that the hairs are in good condition, not bent or broken, that they form a good point when you wet the end and that some form of protection for the bristles is provided.

Be sure your brushes are soft, clean, and flexible, and keep them that way by cleaning with water or the recommended paint cleaner.

Look after your brushes and they will last a long time. Only dip the tip of the brush in the paint otherwise the bristles will become clogged and separate. Don't leave standing on the bristles in your water pot as they will bend out of shape. Clean them after each colour with the recommended cleaner or in warm water and a little detergent if using acrylic paints. Shape the bristles in to a point and protect the bristles from bending and breaking with the plastic tube cover provided for this purpose.

Keep your newest brushes for doing detailed work, as they start to wear out and no longer form good points use them for putting on large areas of base colours. When they are past that cut the ends of the bristles square and use for dry brushing.

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Painting

All paints should be stirred thoroughly before use. A box of cheap wooden cocktail sticks is a good idea as the sticks themselves can also be used for conversion and general modelling work. Have three jars of the paints recomended thinner/cleaner available. One for general use, one for metallic paints as they are made with small metal flakes that will get transfered to your other paints and a final one for when a brush has to be super clean.

Painting Methods

Straight from the bottle

This is the application of undiluted paint on the figure and is how you would cover each individual area. Dip the tip only of your brush into the paint and then stroke in one direction following the longest length of the item being painted. If the paint feels thick, thin with a little water or the recommended thinners. Try to keep the paint within the area being painted. If you do get paint on the surrounding areas you may need to touch up this area with primer again before putting on it's correct colour.

This finish is acceptable but most figure painters continue and add shading and highlights. For narrow and small areas however, such as straps, no further work may be needed. Washes and dry-brushing are the usual way to add shading and highlights on this scale of figure. Their effect in this scale however isn't strictly accurate as it uses the high and low points of the casting where as you should be attempting to recreate the effect of the sun overhead casting shadows on the figure. On large model soldier scales, 54mm and above, highlights would be on upper facing surfaces not just on the most prominent details which is why bleading is a better way to paint this size and larger figures..

Wash

A wash is a basic way to shade a figure as it emphasizes shadows. Thin a small amount of paint, usually to two or three parts of water to one part paint, then brush it over the area.. The paint should concentrate in the recessed areas of the detail, leaving a thin transparent coat over the raised areas. You may have to add more paint or water if the wash doesn't produce the effect you want. Washes can be built up in layers, starting with a shade slightly darker than your base colour, then darkening the shade in a thinner mixture so that only the bottom of the recesses are the darker shade. It's a case of trial and error until you get the hang of it. The normal problem is too much water. Where possible paint the figure upside down so that the paint forms into the upper part of folds and creases where it would be naturally darker. Inks were designed for doing washes and can give a good effect but they add to your initial costs

Black should not always be used to darken the base colour, i.e. a dark brown works better with red.

A wash and wipe method can also be used on larger models particularly vehicles. Use slightly thinned paint but not as thin as the washes above. Leave to dry a little but before it does wipe the excess paint off with a rag or piece of sponge. This should leave paint around the details and remove it from raised areas but the results can vary and so need practice to do well.

Dry-Brushing

Dry-Brushing is an easy way to highlight raised detail as it emphasizes the highest surface details. It can be done on most parts but is most effective on areas that have a lot of raised details like fur or chain mail and should be done after any washes have dried. Dip your brush in the paint, then wipe the brush on a tissue to remove the excess paint and liquid. The paint remaining on the brush should be nearly dry and not flow when applied. Lightly brush over the surface to be highlighted, brushing across the details, hair, creases rather than a long them. A little paint will remain on the raised surface, highlighting the previous coats of paint. The harder you press with the brush the more paint will be deposited so decrease the pressure with each layer. A number of layers is better than a single one. Start with the base coat and then add progressively lighter shades of the base coat with the final coats using the very tip of the brush only.

White should not always be used to lighten the base colour as it can make colours look washed out or even change them, i.e. yellow works well with green and red and stops red becoming pink.

A brush with a flat wide tip is best for dry-brushing. Where possible only brush downwards from head to foot on a figure rather than side to side or up and down. This will leave slightly more paint on the upper surfaces where the natural highlights would be.

Blending

With the emamel type paints, because they are slow to dry you can blend the paint. You will benefit from having a number of paint brushes available for this technic. Paint the base colour and let it dry overnight. Next day paint in the shadow colour where needed and use a clean dry brush to soften the edge so that it gradually changes to the base colour. Then paint the highlight colour, with another brush and thin that at the edges with a forth clean brush. You may then find that you need to add a little of the base colour, yet another brush, to get a smooth gradual change. It sounds complicated but it isn't really. It gives a much better result than the drybrush and wash routine on large scale figures where you would look more closely at where the shadows and highlights would actually be.

Stippling

Stippling is a way of adding an effect similar to the use of an airbrush in that it produces a random pattern over a surface. Mostly used in weathering effects like adding mud to vehicles. Leave a little more paint on the brush than you would for dry brushing and then dab at the surface to be painted with the tip of the brush. the harder you dab the thicker the effect. If producing smoke damage on a wall dab lightly, as you don't want a visable build up of paint on the surface, repeating as necessary until you get the effect you require. Mud, because you want a build up on the surface needs to be done with more paint on the brush and the paint left as thick blobs on the surface. As with all new methods practic before you use for real. Don't use a good brush as this method bends and breaks the bristles.

Others

Any other painting method can be used. A lot of military modelers use a small air brush for camoflage patterns and a mottled effect, particularly on a large flat area, can be made by dabbing paint on with a rag or sponge.

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Hints and Tips

It is assumed that you have primed your figures with a white primer.

Paint difficult areas that will be covered or hard to reach before parts are assembled.

Where possible paint light colours first and work towards the darker shades.

If painting separate colours on one area, i.e. a quartered uniform either mark out with a light pencil line or a narrow line of the lighter colour.

Figures

Start painting a figure with the areas of flesh.

The Face
Painting the face is the hardest part of a figure but a good face will bring out the character.
Start by painting the face a basic flesh colour and allow it to dry. Use a bottled flesh paint but add a touch of white, orange, yellow or even green to vary the shade. After all no two people have the same skin colour. Add red or brown to give a tanned or outdoors feel to the character.
Eyes are the hardest part to get right. Viewing a real life person in the distance so that they were the same height as a figure you would not be able to see the eyes clearly but convention demands that we paint them in. The result is that eyes are painted proportionally larger than life so that it can be seen that we've put the effort into painting them. Some figures have the eyes engraved on the face, although they may themselves be over scale, which helps, otherwise try to keep as small as your skill will allow. I have always painted the eyes first and would suggest that you do the same. When the basic flesh is dry paint each eye area with white and a touch of light blue to tone the brightness down. Paint a vertical strip of blue, black or brown for the pupils with your thinnest brush. As your skill improves add some roundness to the pupil - but don't leave them as a dot. When the figure is facing forwards the pupils should line up above the corners of the mouth. When dry shape the top lids in black or dark brown and the bottom lids with a lighter brown. If the lines defining the eyes are to thick paint flesh over to thin them down. The eyes can be used too give a feeling of movement to a figure, i.e. looking to one side, or up or down. In this case painting the pupil as a dot will give a better finish. Just remember you never see pupils as a complete circle unless the person is staring so have at least one eyelid covering part of them.
Back to the face. Add shadows of your base flesh colour mixed with increasing amounts of red-brown/dark brown around the hair line, beard and collar, below the lip, under the chin, cheeks, nose and upper eye socket and in the ears and sides of the nose.
Add highlights with the base flesh colour and increasing amounts of white to the top of the cheeks, nose, forehead, ears and chin, finishing with a near white tip to the nose.
Paint the lips with a slightly darker shade of the base flesh with a dark brown line to separate them. If the mouth is open a black or dark brown will show white/cream teeth best.
The shadows can be added with an ink or paint wash but it does tend to make all of the skin a darker tone.Games Workshop provide an ink specifically for this purpose.
Hands/feet - do as the face using the same shading and highlighting colours with dark brown to separate fingers/toes. Nails in a near white shade.
Hair - is usually well defined in figures so it can be painted quite easily with a base colour, shading washes and highlighting dry-brushings.
Beards -can be done as hair and a 5 o'clock shadow with a light wash of blue, black or grey over the finished face.

Mediterranean or Near East skin would have a slightly darker tone than Northern European

Clothes

When the flesh areas are dry work your way out to the jacket as if dressing the figure. You are less likely to over paint a finished area this way.

Paint each item in it's base colour and then add shadows and highlights into creases and folds, joints to other clothes, belts, upper and lower surfaces of the arms and shoulders, etc.

Try using the following suggestions for mixing shading and highlighting colours to start with. Use only one of the colours where
a choice is given. Each will give a different finish to the base colour.

Grey -use traces of blue to give colder shades and red/pink for warmer ones.
Whites - are never white so add a touch of blue, grey or yellow to the base coat. Darken with either a black/blue mix or a yellow/orange/brown and then highlight with pure white.
Black is black is black. Highlight with a dark shade of any colour you wish. I use Navy Blue and Purple for witches, Dark Green for assassins, and have used Red on Kaos warriors and Grey on skeleton troops who need a more well worn look.
Red - Games Workshop went through a stage of highlighting red with yellow that looked as if it had a yellow boarder rather than a highlight. If you find your highlight is too bright use a wash of the base red or an ink to tone it down.

Black Outlines

It is a common practice amongst figure painters to outline different areas of colours in black or dark brown. This gives extra definition and depth to clothes especially cuffs and belts etc. but it takes practice to do convincingly as a very thin line is required. This is the reason a lot of wargamers undercoat their figures in black. They then leave a black edge showing round each colour. Another alternative I have seen done it to make the final shade coat for each colour very dark almost black to give this definition to these edges.

Jewels

The easiest way to get a good looking result on a jewel is to reverse the shading so turn the figure upside down and then paint it as if it was the right way up. Turn the figure back the right way up and the darkest colour is at the top where the highlight should be and the lightest is underneath in the shadows. Add a small white dot near the top on the dark shade where the highest point of a true highlight would have been.

Metals

I undercoat silver type metals in black and gold/coppers in various browns and reds. Paint in the required metal colour with a little of the undercoat mixed in as the base coat and then give a dark wash in ink dependant on the metal, usually black or brown. When dry drybrush with the base metal and then a lightened metal colour. Silver is the usual lightener. Wash again if the result is too bright. Metal figures can themselves be polished to give a metallic finish, more commonly done on the larger scale figures. Paint with a thinned black and when dry polish with fine wire wool. This can be done on any metal item i.e. weapons, armour and needs to be done before the rest of the figure is painted

Furs

A good scuptured fur will have a lot of raised detail so most of the paint work will be drybrushing. Start with an overal dark shade or even black then drybrush with lighter and lighter colours. Animal furs vary a lot so try to obtain photos to help with the shades. If it is an animal skin used for clothing there is usually an area of non-fur skin around the edge which can be painted a lightbrown/tan.

Masking

Masking tape can be used to mask areas where a straight edge is required, for example, on vehicles. Use the low-tack type of masking tape sold to artists rather than the car type and reduce its adhesive effect by laying the sticky side on to a piece of clothing and peeling it off before applying to the model. Let the paint surface dry thoroughly before using masking tape. If you need to mask an area to avoid getting paint on it there is a liquid product called Maskol which can be painted on and scraped off without damaging paintwork

Finishing

When finished it is advisable to protect the paint with a varnish, especially if used for wargames where damage is more likely. Matt gives a more natural finish but a gloss varnish is stronger and will protect better if they are to be used for games. For gaming therefore a thin coat of gloss followed when dry by a thin coat of matt is recommended. As a gloss finish can look wrong in this small scale only leave an item with a gloss finish if it really needs to shine.

A lot of early figures were prone to what is known as tin rot which can destroy the details on figures. A coat of varnish will help prevent this by stopping air contacting the metal. It is advisable to apply a thin coat of varnish to the base metal as well as after priming and painting. This is rarely seen now because of the better quality of metals used, but I have used the above after it attacked early Citadel/Games Workshop figures with no sign of it reappearing.

Animals

Like painting furs first obtain as much photo evidence as you can. When studying a picture you will find that what you thought was a simple brown horse will have a tan under belly, orange tinge to its back, black hair, pink nose and white socks. Paint the main colour of the animal first ignoring saddles and straps etc.. When happy with the finish paint all the furniture in black before its correct colours.This will help the straps etc. stand out. Then finish the animal's hair, hooves, mouth and eyes and other marking, socks. The large teeth and tusks of animals, real or fantasy, usually get darker towards the root and some tusks will have a dark colour for a short lenght from the skin outwards.

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Bits and Pieces

Colour schemes

With a fantasy world like Discworld you are free to paint as you wish, any colours, any shades. There is little to say what you have done is wrong as authors expect you to use your imagination. If you are modelling the real world, either current or past you should try to paint figures as realistically as possible. In the past people didn't have the dyes or materials available for clothes that we do now so you will need to do a little research to find what colours and metals not to use. The Bronze Age got its name from the metal in general use at the time so don't paint all the weapons in silver. You will find however that if you look at other artists figures that what ever time or period etc. is being painted, leather is generally done in brown or black, wood is a wood colour, metals are gold, silver or copper/bronze. Jewels are the only thing that don't look so real but this is probably because you are trying to paint a solid object to look like a clear one and its size is so much bigger than real life. If painting an army or a unit for a war game it is a good idea to use a colour theme to give it conformaty and make them look like a group if they don't have a recognised uniform.

Africa

I had to research the following when I thought I was going to have to paint some 19C African explorers. Before the kharki safari suit and tropical helmet became popular with explorers they would wear the same as at home, i.e. long jacket/frock coat, waistcoat, trousers, peaked cap. many were ex-forces and wore similar civilian versions of a uniform.

The local tribes varied depending on where in Africa they originated from. The typical tribes had skin shades from yellowish brown to dark brown and wore little more than a loincloth made of animal skins, bark cloth which is a red brown colour or imported cottons of assorted colours and designs. European clothes like shirts and coat were adopted as civislisation touched them. Each tribe had a different hairstyle and many had feathers from the local bird population. Warpaint was not common but most involved painting part of the body in a solid colour. White and red were the main colours used. Shield of various shapes and sizesmade of hides, basketwork or wood. White, red and black were the main paint colours used or they were left in there natual state. Jewelry of ivory, brass, copper etc. hung round neck, or wrapped around limbs.

Arab types wore long gown with long sleeves usually white/off white with a sash of any colour, with a red or white fez or white or multi stripped turban

Elephants come in various shades of grey through brownish grey to near brown. Highlight your base colour with beige and add black as a wash to shade. Eyes are white and leather colour, with gloss varnish finish. Mouth a orange and purple mix highlight with white and shade with red. Teeth khaki and beige lightened with white and dark brown shadowing. Toes dark brown with midium brown highlights.

Decals

Decals come with some figures now, particularly heraldic designs for knights, but their main use is on vehicles and the like. There is a large market in separate transfer sheets so that you don't have to use the sheet that came with the model. They are mainly for military subjects but there are some available for model railways.

The most common type of Decal is the water slide type. Ensure the paint surface is fully dry. Cut the decal out as close to the design as possible to remove the small amount of clear film that surround it. This clear edge is nearly always visible if not removed. Hold the decal in a pair of tweezers and dip into water for 10 seconds. Leave for a further minute before transferring it onto the models surface. Use a damp paint brush for this. If you have difficulty in positioning the decal apply a little water to the area with the paint brush. When happy with its position leave to dry. Protect with varnish when dry, usually next day. If the decal stands out use a thin wash of black or dark brown to tone it down a little before varnishing. If you have difficulties fixing decals they go on a gloss varnish surface better. Paint gloss varnish where the decal is to go, When dry and the decal is fixed cover with matt varnish to protect and return to realisum.

An increasing number of decals are being produced as dry transfers similar to the Letraset range of lettering available from stationers. With these you just position where required and rub down, coating with varnish to protectem when finished.

Weathering Effects

Buildings and vehicles can be made more believable by aging them, and by varing their colourings to represent real ones. Models are painted all at once, but in real life things are added and repaired over the years using different materials. House extentions rarely use the same colour bricks. Nature can cause damage and wear to objects, water trails cause rusting etc.

Effects can be applied with paint but a lot of military modelers are now using various coloured chalk pastels which can be obtained from most model shops. They are applied by making chalk dust by rubbing on fine sandpaper then adding the dust with a stiffish brush or cotton bud. A spray matt varnish is required to fix in place.

Dust - a light sandy colour or just white will give a well worn look to most things.

Mud - Mud is thick so paint alone is not sufficient. Mix up pollyfilla powder with PVA glue and plenty of paint of the required shade and apply with a brush. It should be of a consistency to stick to cart wheels and boots with a lumpy effect and without running. The ground should also show deep ruts and puddles that can be built up with layers of gloss varnish or clear cast resin.

Wood - If using real wood, stain it rather than paint using a paint wash or inks. This will also raise the grain which will benefit from a dry brush of a lighter shade. Obtain picture of wood or even better a wood stain chart from the DIY shop where you actually have to paint a wood effect. If the woods grain has been sculpted you can use normal painting methods but if the surface is flat you will have to paint the grain pattern on once the base coat is dry. Old timbers should be dry-brushed with grey to show age.

Metal - painted metal should show signs of wear. The edges of steps and handles could have silver spots where boots, etc. had knocked off paint. General aging can be done with black or dark brown washes then add streaks of rust depicted with a brown/orange mix and lichen patches with shades of green. Show repairs by having a panel either as unpainted bare metal or in red oxide primer. Finish by dry brushing with white or silver to pick out the raised details.

Welding joints and cuts can be shown by using a hot pin or pyrogravure on plastic card sheeting. This method can also be used to create weapon and other various battle damages. Gunfire damage can also be represented by gouging a small depression with a sharp knife with shrapnel marks radiating from the hit, painted silver with a wash of black and black stippled around for smoke marks. If old damage stipple with dark brown as well and add rusting.

Smoke - an effective but dangerous way to show the effects of fire is to set alight the tip of a piece of plastic sprue and hold it under the area where you want soot to form. When the desired effect is reached allow to cool and then fix with a spray varnish. Its dangerous because the fumes from burning plastic are highly toxic, so only do this outdoors, and also the heat can damage other parts of your model. Using various washes of black/grey with a final stippling of black also works .

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